Do you toss food once the date on the label has passed? Experts say that’s often a waste

Here are a few tips to help you understand food date labels and keep perfectly good food out of the trash even if you don’t live in California. “The date labels guarantee quality up until that point,” said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University. Food date labels vary state by state and are determined by the food manufacturer. Researchers from the University of Maryland found that more than 50 different date labels are used across the United States. “Because who wants to eat poor quality food?”